


act befittingly

by Angst_boy



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: M/M, basically sebastian teaches ciel what its like to be helpless
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-18 08:19:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7307272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angst_boy/pseuds/Angst_boy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an unpleasant situation with Grell Sutcliff, Sebastian realizes just how much Ciel relies on him, just how confident he is regarding his mortality. Sebastian thinks he needs to change this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Of all the people to be kidnapped by, Ciel had to choose him? Sebastian could handle mobsters, he could handle traffickers, he could handle any human that he was assigned to kill. But him? The demon huffed as he pushed open the door, the wood creaking on rusty hinges. His shoes clicked against the floorboards as he walked, his gait perhaps a bit heavier than usual, but not an ounce less graceful. Sure, Ciel didn’t exactly choose to be kidnapped, but he was foolish enough to fall right into their clutches, like a mouse that ignored warning signs in favour of a piece of cheese. Hopefully Ciel’s neck wouldn’t be snapped underneath a metal bar quite so soon.

His arrival earned the attention of the room’s occupants, a flamboyant reaper and a snarling child. Why meet in an office? It made more sense than a crowded street, but it wasn’t expected. It was a very human place to choose. Two sets of eyes locked onto him, but Sebastian only focused on one person in particular. He bowed low, one hand behind his back and the other on his chest, lowering his gaze.

“My apologies for taking so long, master. We are having guests later, and you know how hard it is to convince the servants not to..” His fingers flexed, his brow furrowed. “Interfere.”

He received a scoff in reply. “A simple butler should know how to multitask.”

Sebastian straightened up, pushing his shoulders back. He didn’t reply, just gave the tiniest of smiles towards his master, looking him over with a hint of amusement in his gaze. The boy was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, body curled in on itself just enough to show a slump. Pale skin was littered with a rainbow of bruises, more colours than should be on one small body. Blood trickled from his nose, staining his soft lips with a red more brilliant than any lipstick. Sebastian’s gaze lingered for a moment, before he finally looked at the other being in the room. The host, if you may.

His gaze seemed to be electric, making the being straighten up and fill with energy in a split second. Before he had any time to speak, the reaper opened his mouth.

“Oh, Sebastian~! I haven’t seen you in a lifetime!” Grell cooed, voice high pitched and far too sweet to be healthy. The demon could already feel his teeth begin to rot from that sugary voice. The reaper leaned against a desk, one leg crossed over the other, a heavy tool slung over his shoulder.

“It’s too soon, I agree.” Without another word, Sebastian stepped forward, walking closer to the duo. The reaper was directly facing Ciel, which left Sebastian no easy way to grab his master without leaving an opening. Grell might be prissy and neat, but he was vicious when he wanted to be. Sebastian did not want to relive their first fight. That situation had been much too close for comfort, he had no desire to try it again. Staying hyperaware of the red reaper to his right, Sebastian kept close to the wall and approached his master.

He held out a hand, reached towards the boy, and almost lost his fingers. He yanked his hand away the moment he had heard the whirring of machinery, the chainsaw blade shot past him and embedded itself deep into the wall, inches from Ciel’s head. A convenient tool to separate the demon and his charge.

The engine sped up and Sebastian jumped backwards, narrowly missing it as Grell yanked it from the wall and swung it down. With a sharp order from the demon, Ciel scrambled to his feet and backed up, keeping an eye on both of them before dropping down behind the desk, safely out of harms way. From his new position, Ciel tore off his eyepatch, his right eye glowing a brilliant violet, the flashing colour bringing out the rainbow of bruises along his skin.

“Sebastian!” The demon felt a pull. “Kill him! Now!”

Grell swung his saw down, a perfect arc as it sailed through the air. Sebastian, focused on the words of his master, was distracted just long enough to allow the blade to slice his coat and graze his skin, a thin line of torn fabric along his forearm.

They kept up like that for quite some time, a brilliant show of leaps, laughter, and a considerable amount of mockery. Eventually, just as their last fight ended, Sebastian came out on top. This time, though, it was just by a stroke of luck. One final swing would be the deciding factor, and in that split second, Grell has stepped on the end of his red coat and tripped himself. Sebastian walked up to him, glaring down at the reaper. How pathetic could he be? Hands raised, as if that would stop a blow, brow furrowed, eyes pleading.

“H-hey! Sebastian, don’t--That isn’t a good i-idea!”

“My master has ordered me to kill you. If I couldn’t carry out such a simple command, what sort of butler would I be?” Sebastian leaned over slightly, more of a silent taunt than a bow.

“No! Reapers!” Sebastian paused. “I’m just one, and I can kill you! A-almost, at least! Kill one reaper, and you’ll have them all at your throat!” Grell exclaimed, eyes wide and panicked, a wolf backed into a corner.

Sebastian cast a look to his master, who had, by now, stood up from his hiding spot behind the desk. Eyepatch clutched in his hand, violet eyes narrowed, he was a force to be reckoned with, even covered in bruises and cuts.

“Sebastian.” The butler stood straight, awaiting an order. “He’s pathetic.”

With that, the Earl tilted up his chin and made his way to the door. The butler followed obediently, a dog tied with an invisible leash. Grell stared after them, his expression fiery, as ablaze as the red of his hair.  
The butler looked over his shoulder, looking Grell up and down. “Yes, I quite agree.” And the door slammed shut.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter's title was based off of the Kuroshitsuji movie. The basis of that line was, if Ciel said an order and added 'act befittingly' to the end, it gave Sebastian the option to disobey the order, as long as he came out the other end with something to show for it.
> 
> But, I realized halfway through this chapter that I can't add that line without making it sound odd, so I'm changing what will happen to make the smut start.

Ciel was an interesting person. He was quiet, he was stubborn, he would sooner send Sebastian to his death than admit he was wrong. He was a child. As the demon watched his master eat, he couldn’t help but scowl. Ciel was nothing more than a brat, no matter how much trauma he had gone through. He was still immature, and if there came a time when instinct and knowledge battled, he knew that Ciel would choose instinct, whereas an adult would think things through.

His master was arrogant, confident, and--Speaking to him, apparently.

“Ah, pardon me, young Lord?”

The boy narrowed his eyes, his lip curled in distaste. “Are you hard of hearing? I _told_ you to go fetch more cake!”

Sebastian resisted the urge to scoff. Instead, he bowed low and apologized, straightened up, and left the room. The door swung open as he stepped out, and he heard a loud thud. He shut the door, and where it had previously been was a maid, her foggy glasses cracked in one lens as she stumbled backwards, got her feet tangled around each other, and went toppling to the floor.

He was extremely unamused. After a few moments of groaning in pain, she got back on her feet. Seeming to just notice Sebastian was there--and staring at her, as well-- she let out a yelp and backed up a few feet.

“A-ah! Sebastian! I, uh, I was going to see if the young master needed anythin’!” She squeaked, high pitched voice and accent mixing together to create a rather sickening sound. While some may feel adoration or affection for clumsy maids, all Sebastian felt was a vaguely murderous impulse. “Bard is thinkin’ of cooking something special, I wanted to get his opinion! The master’s opinion, I mean!” She was silenced with a glare.

“I thank you for your concern, Mey-rin. But he will not be needing anything from you three tonight.” It went without saying that the gardener would also try to ‘help’. Mey-rin opened her mouth to protest, but closed it as Sebastian smiled. She didn’t even need to see it, she could tell by the sudden chill she felt that he wasn’t pleased. A stammered apology followed, and she was gone.

“Idiot.” Sebastian murmured under his breath as the maid scurried away. He was the only competent servant in the entire manor, even when the others tried to ‘help’, it only made more work for the demon butler. Sure, demons were above human emotions, but burning irritation wasn’t strictly for humans. Nor was hatred, or a sense of superiority. All of which he felt quite frequently.

He began walking down the hall, disappearing into his thoughts. He was still...Well, to put it bluntly, pissed off about the prior altercation with Grell Sutcliff. It had been a few days, long enough for the bruises to heal up on his Master, but not long enough to quell the annoyance Sebastian felt. He was a demon, yes, and his body and mind belonged entirely to his owner. But he rarely had a Master who was so careless with him, without any concern for his physical wellbeing. If Sutcliff hadn’t tripped on his coattail, there was the very high chance that Sebastian would be shredded to bits by that bright red death scythe.

Had Ciel ever been the one threatened? Ever since he was a child, when he made that irreversible deal, had he ever been in danger? Had he ever had actual fear coursing through his veins? Sebastian was always there to catch him when he fell, Ciel had forgotten just how it felt to hit the ground.

How would he fix that, he wondered.

“BOOM”

Sebastian froze as smoke exploded out of a door inches in front of him, the thick black substance tickling his nose. Ah, he hadn’t been paying attention, he almost passed the kitchen. He waited for a moment for the smoke to clear, then turned to walk through the doorway, an eyebrow raised as he surveyed the destruction.

“Baldroy, I do hope you didn’t destroy the cakes I had just made this morning?”

The man in question spun around to face him, a large smile on his face. An unlit cigarette hung from his lips, bouncing as he greeted the demon. “Well ‘ey there, Sebastian! Nah, ya’ cakes are just fine, don’t worry ‘bout it!” He raised a shoulder, adjusting the flamethrower that was resting on it. “Just thought I’d make a roast fa’ the young Master, y’know?”

“I don’t suppose Mey-rin came by?”

“Ah, ye’ she did, said somethin’ about you. Couldn’t ‘ear her quite well, over all the noise.”

Sebastian wasn’t subject to aging, but he could somehow feel a year being taken off his life. A demon’s life could be shortened by stress, right? If that fact was true, Sebastian would have be long gone by now. He let out a sigh and raised a hand to rub at one eye, a show of weariness. “I am perfectly capable of cooking for the young Lord _myself_ , thank you. Your services aren’t needed today.” He said cooly.

Baldroy huffed, smoke coming from his mouth despite his cigarette being unlit. “Yeah, alright. Ya’ know where to find me if I’m needed.” He swung his weapon down, and with a flashy grin, he walked past Sebastian and out of the kitchen.

Sebastian had to purse his lips to avoid letting out a rude comment. As soon as the servant was gone, he let out a sigh and walked over to a delicate cake stand. How surprising that it was undamaged in the wake of the American’s attempts at cooking. Not in the mood to go over and above, he quickly sliced a piece of cake, set it on a plate, and left the kitchen. No fancy showing off or superior service. Within a minute, he was back in his master’s study, bowing low as he set the cake down in front of the young boy.

He didn’t get any words of appreciation.

“Any news from the Queen?”

“Oh, yes, you received a letter this morning from Her Majesty.”

“I appreciate you telling me hours _after_ I received it.”

Sebastian ignored the sarcasm, he reached into a pocket on his coat and pulled out a letter, holding it towards his Master. “It’s regarding a recent outbreak of criminal activity towards those in positions of power.” He explained, watching the boy’s reactions. Ciel was wealthy, he was extremely important, both as the Queen’s watchdog and the Earl of the Phantomhive estate. But he didn’t bat an eye.

“Young Lord, I can’t help but notice that you don’t seem very concerned. After all, you are a very important figure.”

Ciel opened a drawer and took out a letter opener, glancing up at Sebastian for a moment with an unamused expression. “Why should I be? No criminal can hurt me.”

The butler frowned ever so slightly as Ciel opened the letter, holding it up to read it. “You trust me to protect you?” He walked around the large desk, stopping to stand beside his Master’s chair.

“Yes. I always have. You swore an oath, you will always be here.” Ciel looked up at him, his eyes narrowing. Sebastian watched as the gears began to turn. Plant a seed of doubt, and it will grow. But plant it in a Phantomhive’s mind, and it would be nipped in the bud. “Sebastian, you will always protect me. No matter the cost, no matter what must be sacrificed, or what rules need to be broken. Do you understand?”

Exactly what he wanted to hear. He stepped forward, movements smooth and slow. He leaned down, keeping his eyes locked with his Master’s, and with one hand, he gently pushed down on the paper in Ciel’s hands, making the boy lower it onto the desk, watching as his Master's brow furrowed. “Yes, my Lord. I understand... _completely_.”


End file.
